Far Away
by dopereads
Summary: As a teen in high school, Mike Mizanin had dreams of being a professional wrestler. No one believed in him except his best friend, Rebecca. However, once Mike got the chance to make it big, he took it; leaving Rebecca alone in Ohio. Years have past and the two come face to face once again. Can the one thing that brought them together keep them from breaking apart again?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Growing up in Ohio, Mike didn't have many people that believed he could achieve his dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. Except for one. His high school best friend, Rebecca Lopez, believed in him from the start. The two had known each other since their freshman year and became friends all from sitting next to each other in their first period class. Ever since, Mike had her back and she had his. The two noticed they had a lot in common; they both loved wrestling and WWE. They bonded over wrestling and often spent time together watching it on the television and PPV's. Thus, they did everything together up and until graduation. Once Mike got the chance, he left Ohio to go to college in Florida and pursue his dreams. Leaving Rebecca behind. Rebecca remained a wrestling fan and watched as her high school best friend, who had clearly forgotten about her, make it big. It isn't until WWE holds a challenge to find their next diva, the 2013 diva search, that the two become face to face once again.

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Chapter 1

"Being a WWE diva is more than being a pretty face and having a bit of athletic background. Being a diva is being smart, sexy and powerful. You have to have the knowledge of wrestling so you can get far in this business. You have to have the beauty and charisma to capture the crowd's attentions. However, most importantly, you need the wrestling ability. If you believe you have all of these things, I need you to step over to the left," said the diva's champion and spokesperson of this diva search, Layla El. WWE had placed her in the position because she was the champion and with Layla being a former contestant and the winner of the diva search, they knew she had what it takes to lead this competition.

As the English born champion stared at the group of 20 girls in front on her, 19 of them stepped quickly to the left. Except for one. Layla looked to the brunette, her chocolate brown eyes staring into the woman's hazel ones. Layla could tell she was nervous and very young in age. As the brunette chewed on her bottom lip and tried to avoid Layla's eyes, Layla stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's stopping you from stepping over to that side of the room?" she asked in a soft whisper. The girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked up at Layla.

"I'm nervous but I don't know why because I know I can do this; I know I can be a diva," the girl responded, her words in a rush.

"Take a deep breathe," Layla started. The girl obeyed. "I know you're nervous. I was nervous too. There were hundred's of beautiful girl's around me fighting for that same spot I wanted. I know how you feel. I also know that you can do this. It's OK to be nervous but don't give up on this."

"Thank you. I really needed that."

"You're welcome." Layla rubbed her arm soothingly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rebecca. Rebecca Lopez."

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca. Go on and step to the left; I'm rooting for you." She winked at Rebecca, causing a smile to form on the face of the perky brunette. Rebecca took a step to the left and made herself the last girl in the line. She was ready for this. Nothing was going to stand in her way and stop her from achieving her dreams.

The women stood to the left and the producers helped Layla go over her lines. The plan was for the diva's champion to come out and introduce the twenty contestants and judges. As Rebecca read over the guidelines, she realized this was almost like NXT voting wise. The four judges would cast their votes and so would the WWE 'universe'. In the end, only one girl would win and be given the title of the 2013 Diva's Search Winner and a cash prize of $50,000 along with a WWE contract. This contest could benefit anyone but especially a long time wrestling fan and Rebecca knew she had that.

"OK, ladies. Get into a single file line and get ready to show the universe what you're all about," said one of the backstage hand's. Layla positioned her title proudly on her shoulder and stood at the front of the gorilla position. Her theme music hit and she turned quickly towards the girls.

"Good luck to all of you and don't forget to smile!"

. . .

_Monday Night Raw: March 3rd, 2013. _

It was a roaring night in Cincinnati, Ohio. The crowd was anxious from all of WWE's talk of the 2013 Diva Search being kicked off here tonight. When the diva's champion's theme song came on, the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Approaching the ring," Justin Roberts started as Layla showed up at the top of the ramp. "From Miami, Florida, the diva's champion, Layla!" The fans in attendance roared once again when he called out her name. The men in the crowd whistled at the English-woman. She high fived a few fans in the front row before climbing up the steel steps and into the ring. Justin handed Layla microphone.

"Hello, WWE Universe!" she yelled out, a wide grin showcased on her face. "It is my pleasure to be the leading judge of the 2013 Diva Search and I want to thank all of you, here in Cincinnati, Ohio, for being the host of this contest tonight." This caused another cheer from the crowd. Layla waved her hand and giggled.

"Without further or do, I'd like to introduce the other 3 judge's that will be joining me." She pointed to the ramp. The crowd fell silent as the anticipation picked up.

"_Awesome... I came to play!"_

Everyone in the U.S. Bank Arena was on their feet cheering for their hometown hero. Coming down the ramp was Eve Torres, Rey Mysterio and the most must see WWE champion of all time, The Miz. As the trio made their way to the ring, the crowd continued to hoot and holler. Layla handed Miz the mic and a smile crept on his face.

"Hello, Cincinnati!" he yelled, his smile widening. The attendants responded back with a cheer. "Boy, do I just want to say it's great to be home and what a night it's going to be. We're here to kick off the 2013 Diva's Search. With us as judges, and when I say us I'm not just talking about the 3 people standing in this ring with me; you all will be judging too, we will not sleep or eat until we find the next WWE diva! And don't mind me if I say that this contest will be... AWESOME!"

Miz handed the microphone over to Eve who shared it with Rey. "Please put your hands together for the twenty ladies that will be in this competition!"

The crowd cheered as the women bounced down the ramp and into the ring. Their first challenge would be impressing the judge's and the universe with small speeches. The mic slowly traveled down the line and a few of the contestant's got cheer's. The mic got to the end of the line and landed into the hands of a short brunette. She looked extremely nervous as she chewed on her bottom lip. The camera noticed how she locked eye's with the diva's champion, Layla. Layla gave the girl a smile and a head nod. The girl returned the smile and began to speak.

"Hello. My name is Rebecca Lopez and I'm from Parma, Ohio!" she started. The crowd quickly cheered for her as they found out she was an Ohio native.

"Unlike most of these girl's, I'm not a model looking for some television time, I'm not a beauty queen; I didn't even go to prom, actually. I'm just another one of you. In fact, I'm just like each and every single one of you. I'm a huge fan of this business and I love wrestling more than a lot of thing's. I'm here to prove to all of you young girl's watching at home that if this your dream and this is what you want to do, there's no stopping you. I'm here to change the face of the WWE diva's and at the same time, be a role model for that 'nerdy girl'- and I use that term loosely- at home watching or maybe she's in this crowd tonight. I'm here to inspire and make Ohio proud! Thank you." There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that after that speech, Rebecca Lopez was going to be one of the finalists in this competition.

**. . .**

Backstage, the producer's had called out 10 names from a list. Rebecca felt a bit uneasy as her name wasn't called. She watched as the 10 women who were called took a step out and the producer's looked at one another before looking at the women.

"You ten ladies are eliminated from the competition. We're very sorry. Please get your things and exit the backstage area."

Rebecca immediately felt bad for those 10 women but she was also proud of herself. That meant she was a part of the 10 remaining in the competition. She was nervous going out there and didn't know exactly what to say. Not to mention, seeing Mike face to face after all these years had also messed with her too. She knew she had to stay away from Mike. Far away.

The brunette slipped on her plain black pumps and walked down the empty hallway. The show was almost over and the producer's had said the girl's could just hang around and get a bite of eat in catering if they liked. With her stomach grumbling, Rebecca quickly found her way there. As she opened the door and peeped inside, she was relived to see no one was around but a few backstage hands. Rebecca walked up to the counter and smiled politely at the waitress who returned the smile.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Hello. Can I have a chicken caesar's salad with vinegar?"

"Would you like the vinegar on the side or drizzled."

"Drizzled, please. Thank you." The waitress went and put together Rebecca's salad quickly before coming back and handing it over. She took a seat at one of the many empty table's, her back facing the door, and dived into her salad. As Rebecca was enjoying her salad, savoring every taste of the twangy vinegar, the clicking of hard shoes behind her made her jump. The culprit swiftly came around the table and took a seat in front of her.

"Rebs.. it's you? How have you been?!" Mike exclaimed with a huge grin. Rebecca avoided his eyes and took a quick sip of your water. She decided to play dumb; maybe he'd leave her alone.

"What are you talking about, Mr. Miz?"

"What do you mean, _'What am I talking about'_. We were best friends in high school, Rebecca. I know you remember."

"Sorry, you have the wrong girl." Mike shook his head.

"No I don't. Same name, same hometown.. you don't look the same but you know, it might be for the better."

"There are many people with my name that live in Ohio."

"No, it's you Rebs. I know it because you are the only person I know who eats vinegar on their salad's," he smirked. "And don't try and tell me it's not vinegar because I can smell it!" Rebecca sighed and looked up at her high school best friend.

"Yes, Mike. It's me."

"Why'd you lie and say it wasn't?"

"I don't know, I didn't want people to know I knew you because then they'd think your votes would be biased."

"Don't worry, Rebs. No one will care," Mike reached over and placed a hand over her's. "You really do look different. How have you been?"

"I've been OK. Still living in Parma," Rebecca answered.

"How are your parent's doing?"

"They're great, probably watching at home as we speak."

"Well, I'm sure they're proud. Especially after that amazing speech; you definitely won the crowd over with that one."

"Thank you. I just spoke from my heart."

"I know. I have to go get ready for my match, though." He pulled out his cell phone and tapped a few buttons before handing it over to Rebecca. "Put your number in, we can hang out tonight like old times after the show." Hesitantly, Rebecca put her number in before handing the phone back.

"Bye, Mike." He waved at her before leaving out. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips. She had tried her best to avoid him but of course, it didn't work. Her real reason for lying and avoiding him was because she didn't want those old emotions to come back. However, she could feel the butterflies stirring in her stomach the moment he called her by her nick name..

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A/N: Thank you for reading. Please review and go to my profile to see a picture of Rebecca and her outfit in this chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for the follows and favorites on this story. However, please review! It'd mean a lot to me. :)

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**Chapter 2**

Her leopard print duffle bag hit the hotel room floor with a loud thud as the bed creaked from Rebecca launching herself onto it. When RAW ended, she left the arena in a quickness. She needed some rest. It was going to take her awhile to get adjusted to this busy schedule of waking up at almost 3 in the morning and not getting to bed until almost 12 midnight.

As Rebecca kicked off her shoes and rolled onto her side, trying to find a comfortable spot in bed, her cell-phone started to buzz in her pocket. She groaned in annoyance. It was 12 A.M and she had to be up in 4 hours. Reluctantly, Rebecca pulled out her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen; the number wasn't recognizable but it did have an Ohio area code. She decided to answer in case it was an emergency of some sort.

"Hello," she answered gruffly.

"Jeez, Rebs. Quite grumpy, aren't we?" chuckled Mike on the other end. That chuckle brought a smile to her face but it quickly vanished when she remembered what time it was.

"I have to be up in a few hours to catch my flight for SmackDown, Mike."

"I know, I do too. However, this isn't a time for sleep. It's time to celebrate, I mean, my best friend of 4 years and I are about to be living our dream together! We talked about this day and night. I know you remember, Rebs."

She softened her tone. "Of course I remember."

"Now look at us; our fairytale is about come true. You know this calls for a celebration. What room are you in? I'll bring some snacks." Rebecca sighed and glanced over at the clock. No matter how bad she wanted to say no and go back to bed, she couldn't.

"I'm in room 217. I'll pop some popcorn and get the wrestling DVD's set," replied Rebecca with a giggle.

"Great. I'll be there in a few."

**. . .**

The aroma of buttered popcorn filled Rebecca's hotel room and hit Mike's nostrils when the bubbly brunette opened the door. As Mike stared down at her, he saw how she wasn't the same girl he had as a friend years ago. Sure, she might be the same personality wise but her appearance had changed a lot. Gone were the thick, round glasses and braces that used to have pieces of food stuck in between them. She had grown into a gorgeous girl. The more Mike saw of her, the more intrigued he became. Rebecca flashed him a small smile and stepped aside to let him in.

"I have the Royal Rumble '99 in the DVD player. You brought more snacks?" she asked as she led him inside. Rebecca took a seat in the middle of her hotel bed.

"What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?" Mike answered with a grin. He set down a case of diet pepsi and placed the chips on the table Rebecca had put the popcorn on. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a king sized Reeses and tossed it to her.

"And you remembered my favorite sweets?" she said as she caught the candy. Mike nodded, his grin still in tact, and took a seat next to Rebecca. Rebecca pressed the play button on the remote and the 14 year old pay-per-view began to play. She ripped open her Reeses and stuffed one of the chocolate, peanut buttered circles in her mouth before relaxing on her bed. As she looked to Mike, he was completely into the television. It felt just like old times. They laughed at the same entrants they always laughed at and cheered for their favorites to win. However, they both knew what the outcome would be. The pair groaned when the chairman of the board threw Austin over the top rope. When the DVD ended, Mike turned to Rebecca.

"Did you meet Vince yet?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "They said whoever won would have a meeting with him and Hunter to discuss their character development."

"Well, we all know you're going to win. What do you want your character to be like?"

"I'm not sure, honestly. I don't know whether I want to be a face or heel."

"Be a face so we can tag team," said Mike with a smirk. Rebecca chuckled.

"I'll give that some thought," she replied with a grin. She looked over to the clock and saw it was now 2 in the morning. "It's really late. I guess we should head to bed now."

"Yeah. I had a great time, Rebs," he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams." Rebecca stared up at Mike astonished for a moment before smiling a bit.

"Good night, Mike." He gathered up his belongings and headed towards the door. Mike turned around, looked to Rebecca and gave her a smile before leaving the room. As she collapsed onto the bed, she knew those old feelings were crawling back.

**. . .**

_She fell in love at the tender age of 16. However, with the odds stacked against her, she knew he would never love her back. She was a beast and he was the captain of two sports teams. He was good looking, smart, nice, popular and had everything going for him. Mike Mizanin could get any girl he wanted in high school, which is why Rebecca knew she didn't stand a chance. _

_Unlike all the other girls, Rebecca wasn't a blue eyed blonde with the perfect curves and model height. Instead, she was dark haired brunette with murky green eyes that hid behind a thick pair of wayfares. Her dark hair was always pulled back into a slouchy ponytail. To add insult to injury, she had the worst set of braces known to mankind. Boys made fun of Rebecca because of her appearance and other people down-right ignored her. Except for one. _

_Mike sat behind Rebecca in their freshman Algebra class. The class had come in and everyone was settled in their seats before the bell had rang. A few moments after the bell, the short brunette came into the class in a rush. All eyes were on the late student. Rebecca stood in front of the room in embarrassment. _

"_Take a seat, dork. I can't see the board!" a sophomore jock yelled out to her. The class erupted into chuckles and giggles. Quickly, she scurried to her seat. Rebecca's cheeks flushed and she put her head down on the desk. _

"_That's no way to talk to anyone. Apologize, Joseph," said Mike as a sigh escaped his lips. _

"_I'm not apologizing. I didn't do nothin'."_

_As the class got settled, Rebecca kept her head on her desk. She couldn't bear to pick her head up and face all of her classmates. She felt humiliated. Once the teacher passed out the classes assignment, Mike stood from his seat and crouched in front of Rebecca's desk. _

"_Hey," he whispered, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Are you all right? Do you want to go outside for a walk?" No answer. He tapped her and still she didn't move. Sighing, he gave her a quick nudge and Rebecca's head shot up. A few stray tears strolled her cheeks as she stared up at him through her tear stained glasses. _

"_I'm fine," she said quietly. Mike shook his head and reached out to her. Using his thumb, he wiped the tears from underneath her eyes. _

"_Don't cry. Joseph can be a jerk sometimes. I apologize on his behalf."_

"_You don't need to apologize; you didn't do anything wrong."_

"_I know. But he won't so I will for him."_

"_Thank you, I guess."_

"_What's your name?" Mike asked while standing to his feet. _

"_Rebecca. Rebecca Lopez," she answered. _

"_Nice to meet you Rebecca. I'm Mike," he stuck out his hand. "You have a partner for the assignment?" _

_Shaking his hand, she answered, "No."_

"_Well, you do now." As the pair worked together on the math assignment, Rebecca noticed how Mike wasn't just great at sports and great to look at but he was intellectual, too. The ball rang and Rebecca picked her bag up from the ground. The WWE pins on it shook and made a chiming noise as they hit against each other. _

"_You're a wrestling fan?" exclaimed Mike, a big grin spread across his face. Rebecca looked up to him and nodded. _

"_Yes. I love it."_

"_So do I. Are you watching RAW tonight?"_

"_Of course." _

_Mike scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. _

"_Call me later when the show's on, we can discuss what happened. I've never met another wrestling fan before."_

And that's how the love began.


End file.
